The report details a situation in which Russia's navy, behind
only those of the US and China in size, may soon be capable of
denying the US Navy access to the Black and
Baltic seas.

Russia's landgrab in Crimea as well as its enclave in Kaliningrad
could lock US forces out of the Black or Baltic seas.

US Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges spoke to this in a Pentagon news briefing
earlier this month, saying the nearly
25,000 Russian troops illegally stationed in Crimea
had "the ability to really disrupt access into the Black
Sea."

Google Maps/Amanda Macias/Business
Insider

Earlier this year, Russia's defense ministry announced plans to revive and increase
the size and scope of the country's Black Sea submarine
fleet.

The new submarines are designed to excel at warfare
in shallower water while being arguably the
quietest submarinesin the world.

"The new submarine and ship classes will incorporate the latest
advances in militarily significant areas such as: weapons;
sensors; command, control and communication capabilities;
signature reduction; electronic countermeasures; and automation
and habitability," the report states.

Russia's
diesel-electric submarine Rostov-on-Don being escorted by a
Turkish Navy Coast Guard boat in the Bosphorus, on its way to the
Black Sea, in Istanbul.Thomson
Reuters

The report also describes Russia's Kalibr missiles, which were
put on display in October when Russian boats in the Caspian Sea
fired missiles at ground targets in Syria.

The report also speculates that Russia's fifth-generation
aircraft, the PAK FA aka T-50, could be ready for deployment as
soon as 2016.

The increased stealth capabilities of the plane, as well as its
potential role aboard a new Russian aircraft carrier, could spell
big problems for the US.

Wikimedia
Commons

According to the report, Russia is "reorganizing its personnel
structure to more accurately reflect the needs of modern warfare"
and will do so by attempting to transition to an all-volunteer
force.

The report acknowledges that Russia is under heavy financial
strain because of sanctions and historically low oil prices, but
the country is nonetheless determined to create a modern navy
that is capable of undermining the military superiority of the
West.